1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information reading apparatus, and, in particular, to an information reading apparatus for reading information such as a bar code provided on a label.
Recently, the number and type of goods having bar code labels provided thereon have significantly increased. The bar codes are used for goods classification, selection, pricing and accounting when goods are sold, and so forth, and are typically read by optical reading devices such as a portable type, a stationary type, and a combination portable/stationary type. For combination portable/stationary type readers, it is necessary that the readers have configurations which can easily be held in the hand of a user, and effectively used in a stationary condition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bar-code reading apparatuses for reading bar codes include contact type and non-contact type. Non-contact type bar-code reading apparatuses are typically of the laser type. Laser type bar-code reading apparatuses emit laser scanning light to bar codes, and then detect light reflected by the bar codes and thus read the bar codes. Laser type bar-code reading apparatuses can be portable, stationary, and combination portable/stationary type. Combination portable/stationary type will be discussed below.
FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a prior art combination portable/stationary scanner in a stationary condition. This hand scanner 11 includes a hand-holding portion 12 and a reading portion 13. A cable 14 extends from the rear end of the hand-holding portion 12 and is connected to a point-of-sale (POS) system (not shown, but which could include cash registers, computers, terminals, etc.). Within the hand-holding portion 12 and reading portion 13, a reflected-light detecting mechanism is provided. Laser light emitted by a laser diode is provided to scanning means such as a polygon mirror, and the scanning means causes the laser light to scan in a plurality of directions, and thus the laser light is externally emitted through a reading window of the reading portion 13 as scanning light 15.
When scanning light 15 is incident on a bar code, the light is reflected by the bar code, passes through the reading window of the reading portion 13, and is incident on a photodiode in the reading portion 13. The light incident on the photodiode is converted into an electric signal therethrough. This electric signal based upon the bar code is processed by a CPU and then is supplied to the above-mentioned POS system. The bar code has an alternating arrangement of bar portions and space portions, which arrangement is standardized by UPC (Universal Product Code), EAN (European Article Code), JAN (Japan Article Number (code)) or a similar code protocol.
In situations where the hand scanner 11 is used in a stationary condition, a stand 16 is used. In the stand 16, a supporting portion 18 is vertically fixed on a reading table 17. A placement portion 19 is formed on the top of the supporting portion 18, and the hand-holding portion 12 of the hand scanner 11 is placed on the placement portion 19. An operator faces the stand 16. When the hand scanner 11 is placed on the stand as shown in FIG. 9, the laser scanning light is emitted toward the reading table 17 from the reading window of the reading portion 13.
FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrates situations in which the hand scanner 11 is used. FIG. 10A illustrates a case in which the hand scanner 11 is used in a condition in which the hand scanner 11 is placed on the stand 16. In this case, as shown in the figure, the laser scanning light 15 is emitted in a direction to the side of an operator 20 from the reading portion 13 of the hand scanner 11. The operator 20 holds a label 21, or an article having the label 21 provided thereon, on which a bar code 21a is provided, and causes the label 21 to block the laser scanning light 15 in a condition where the surface of the label 21 having the bar code 21a provided thereon faces the reading portion 13. Thereby, the bar code 21a reflects the laser scanning light 15, the reflected light is incident into the reading portion 13, and thus the reflected light is used in the reading portion 13 to read the bar code 21a. 
FIG. 10B illustrates a situation where the operator 20 holds the hand scanner 11 by his or her hand. In this situation, the operator 20 holds the hand-holding portion 12, aims the reading window of the reading portion 13 at the bar code 21a portion of the label (article) 21, and causes the reading portion to emit the laser scanning light.
FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate a hand scanner having another configuration in the prior art. Hand scanner 22 is a stationary one. The hand scanner 22 has a box-shaped enclosure 22a and can be simply set on a reading table 23 by itself without needing a stand such as the above-mentioned stand 16. Further, the hand scanner 22 has a width which is set to be small enough that operator 20 can hold it by his or her single hand. As shown in FIG. 11B, the hand scanner 22 has a reading window 22b at one side wall thereof. Laser scanning light 24 is emitted in a direction of that side, as shown in FIG. 11B, through the reading window 22b. When using the hand scanner 22, as shown in FIG. 11A, the operator 20 positions the bar code 21a portion of the label or article 21 at a position such that the laser scanning light 24 emitted by the scanner 22 which is set on the reading table 23 is incident on the bar code 21a portion. The bar code 21a can therefore be read.
FIG. 11B illustrates a situation where the enclosure 22a of scanner 22 is held by the operator 20 in a state in which the reading window 22b faces externally. In this case, the laser scanning light 24 emitted from the reading window 22b is caused to be incident on the bar code 21a portion of the label or article 21. The bar code 21a is thereby read.
Referring to the configuration shown in FIG. 10A, when the hand scanner 11 is used in a stationary condition, the reading window of the reading portion 13 is positioned in the direction of the operator 20, while the hand-holding portion 12 is positioned at a position farther from the operator 20. In a situation where the operator 20 then desires to hold the hand-holding portion 12 by hand to use the hand scanner 11 in a hand-held condition such as that shown in FIG. 10B, the operator 20 must pass the hand scanner 11 from one hand to the other in order to change the orientation of the hand scanner 11. Thereby, the operator 20 can use the hand scanner 11 in the situation shown in FIG. 10B. In fact, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the orientations of the hand scanner 11 are reverse to one another with respect to the spatial relationship with the operator 20. Otherwise, the operator 20 needs to extend his or her hand to the back side of the hand scanner 11 and directly hold the hand-holding portion 12 so as to change the orientation of the hand scanner 11. A similar difficulty occurs with scanner 22 shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. When using the scanner 22 in the hand-held condition after using the same in the stationary condition, the operator 20 either needs to pass the scanner 22 from one hand to the other or needs to extends his or her hand to the back side of the scanner 22, hold it directly, and thereby change the orientation of the scanner 22. Due to these configurations, the hand scanners 11 and 22 in the prior art are troublesome when used as hand held scanners. Further, the cable 14 extending from the rear end of the hand-holding portion 12 is also troublesome when the operator 20 holds the hand-holding portion 12, because the cable 14 prevents the operator 20 from freely holding the hand-holding portion 12 and also from freely moving the hand scanner 11.
The present invention has been developed in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information reading apparatus which has improved features such that an operator can easily handle the apparatus, without encountering difficulties in handling caused by the cable or by the relationship of the stationary reading position and the handheld position.
The present invention includes an information reading apparatus wherein the enclosure is provided with a mechanism for reading the optical mark having a reading window formed thereon. The window is shaped so that it is located lower than a portion to be held by hand in the stationary condition. Thereby, when the stationary condition is transferred into the hand-held condition from the stationary condition, the operator merely needs to hold the portion to be held by hand from the upper side. Therefore, the ease of handling the apparatus in the hand-held condition is improved.
The portion to be held by hand can be provided as the hand-holding portion separate from the reading window, and the hand-holding portion can be formed to have the curved surface or to be bent toward the operator. Thereby, the operator can easily hold the hand-holding portion by hand, without switching hands and without uncomfortably reaching around to the back of the scanner.
In another embodiment of the invention, a wiring means or cable extends out from the side portion of the enclosure so that the operator can hold the enclosure. Further, the wiring means extends out from the supporting center of the enclosure so that the axis of the wiring means is coincident with the supporting center of the enclosure at the cable extending origin point. Therefore, as the enclosure is rotated about the supporting center, the cable merely turns about its axis accordingly but may not swing at the cable extending origin point. Further, a supporting member having a maintaining portion is provided to the enclosure rotatably. The maintaining portion maintains the wiring means in a particular position. Thereby the wiring means can be prevented from obstructing the operator from holding the enclosure, which acts to improve the ease of handing of the apparatus.
In further embodiments of the invention, projections are formed at the two sides of the enclosure on the side of the center of gravity of the apparatus upon which the hand held portion is disposed. The projections rotatably engage with the stand. Thereby, the reading window is always located lower than the portion to be held by hand in the stationary condition, which improves ease of handling of the apparatus.
One projection of the projections engaging with the stand can be rotatably provided with the supporting member and also can be fixed to the enclosure, or the supporting member can be fixed to the projection and also the projection can be rotatably provided to the enclosure. Further, for example, a corresponding engagement portion is provided on the projection for engaging with an engagement portion of the stand. Thereby, the wiring means can be maintained in a particular position and the maintaining position can be rotated with respect to the stand, or the stationary condition angle of the enclosure can be changed and also the maintaining position can be changed, individually. This configuration also improves the ease of handling of the device.
A further embodiment of the invention is one where a positioning member is provided to the stand, and the enclosure can be rotatably positioned. It is possible to surely perform the optical mark reading in the stationary condition. Indication portions are provided in yet another embodiment, in the enclosure at the positions visible in the stationary condition and hand-held condition. These indication portions indicate the optical mark reading. Thereby, the reading can be positively performed.
The reading window and the center of gravity can be configured to be in the same side of the enclosure with respect to the supporting center so that, when an operator stops holding the enclosure, the enclosure automatically turns, by the force of gravity, into an orientation in which the reading window is located below the supporting center. By providing the reading window so that the window surface thereof extends approximately vertically when the reading window is located below the supporting center, the reading window can then face a label to be read, when the label is held toward the side of the enclosure.